Tuesday, May 3, 2011
A Peacemaker in the Inner City
Urban ministry in Homewood is always challenging, and I often look to books for inspiration. Thanksfully there are many good books out about God's call to minister to people in cities. I really like this quote from Mark Gornik in his book To Live in Peace. "To be peacemakers in the American inner city is the opposite of giving in to apathy, of razing neighborhoods, of imploding buildings, of excluding the poor, of insulating oneself from risk. To seek the peace of the city is to have a vision of friendship and community and a commitment to justice, joy, forgiveness, and salvation. It is to engage in kingdom work in the city based on a distinctive understanding of what it means to be the people of God, an understanding that expresses itself in love and sacrifice in service to others, especially the most vulnerable." Yep, that sounds about right! I would love to be able to authentically live those words out here in Homewood.
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2 comments:
Great perspective! I grew up in a suburb in the Baltimore area and attended a church in the same presbytery as Mark Gornik's church at that time New Song Community in Baltimore. As part of my church's youth group I did some service projects in the Sandtown community of Baltimore. Doing those service projects in the city was my first taste of serving in an urban environment. That church has had such an amazing influence on so many in the Baltimore area over the years.
Thanks for the comment Dannielle. It's amazing how God uses life experiences when we're young to shape us for our callings as adults.
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